


Undersides

by emmers_sons



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Abusive Parents, Abusive Parents (Mention), Attempted Suicide, Clingy Patton Sanders, Depression, End Chap 1 Tags, Food, Healthy Parental Relationships, I Don't Know ASL, Injury, Moceit - Freeform, Neglectful Parenting, Neglectful Parenting (Mention), Non-Verbal Thomas, Nonbinary Character, Nonbinary Patton Sanders, Parental Thomas Sanders/Patton Sanders, Past Moceit, Patton's A Good Dad, Swearing, Thomas Doesn't Care About Himself, Yelling, edit per chapter, i almost didnt add any of these back but yall r lucky, i had all these typed out. and then i exed out of the tab
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-04
Updated: 2019-04-04
Packaged: 2020-01-04 20:10:20
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,006
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18350858
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/emmers_sons/pseuds/emmers_sons
Summary: Basically just an Undertale AU for Thomas Sanders' webseries Sanders Sides!





	Undersides

**Author's Note:**

> hey guys! welcome to i torture myself with another au, here's your basic info which will be edited as i plan things out!
> 
> thomas: frisk, 14, selective mute  
> logan: gaster, 28, knows asl for virgil  
> patton: toriel, 35, big ol dad, ex to dee  
> roman: papyrus, 17, older than virgil, knows asl for virgil  
> virgil: sans, 16, younger than papyrus, knows asl from going nonverbal  
> deceit: asgore, 37, another big ol dad, ex to pat  
> remy: undyne, 21, i love  
> emile: alphys, 19, big nerd  
> rage/ezekiel: flowey (not asriel), idk, angry boy  
> depression/salem: napstablook, sad boy, 23  
> none yet for chara, technically asriel, muffet, mettaton

Thomas gave a tired groan, sitting up against the small flower bed he he fallen into. The fourteen year old boy paused, pushing little petals out of his hair and onto the bed beneath him. After checking that nothing on his person was broken, he stood, blinking hard for a few moments before brushing the other petals off his body. He assumed they were buttercups by the looks of them, tiny in his hands. Once he was mostly clean, he pulled at the sleeves of his shirt and brushed off his scraped knees. Nothing a bandaid couldn’t heal, he thought to himself, before taking in a steadying breath to remember how and when he had gotten here. It all came back to him quickly, so he sat again (away from the flowers, he didn’t want to risk hurting them) and went through them thought by thought.

Dad had yelled again, he knew. Yelled at mom, who screamed back and threw a plate, aiming to hit Dad but that got closer to Thomas than anything. He had spent almost an hour in the bathroom, trying to not break down again. The last time he had his dad had hurt him, and he knew that wasn’t right. When things quieted down, he had slipped outside through the window and started to walk, ignoring the fact that he wasn’t dressed in any way to be climbing a mountain and practically trying to off himself. He’d walked through town like nothing was wrong, smiling at people as he passed, none of them knowing where he was going. He’d scalled the mountain surprisingly easily, he’d admit to himself later, and let himself drop off the edge of the giant hole inside even easier. But that was it. That was where he stopped remembering.

This was probably because nothing else had happened, admittedly. He had fallen and probably knocked himself the hell out, before waking up and living what he had just lived. He glanced at the wad of bandages around his arm, now dirtied but still in tact, before sighing. Fine, he’d live down here. In the bottom of the dumbass mountain that held all those dumbass rumors of monsters and magic. Everyone knew that’s what they were. Rumors. Well, maybe not the magic part, it lingered in every human in little ways, like how his dad always managed to evade his mom’s attempts at hurting him, or how his mom always managed to know when Thomas was upset (it was obvious, though, he just went non-verbal, not that they knew he was ever non-verbal away from home), or how Thomas himself had just lived through a drop of over one hundred feet and only got a few scratches to the knees and a slight headache.

It was unrealistic, but still not just luck. He stood again, deciding that looking around could aid him somehow. He combed his fingers gently through his hair, replacing the small barrette to pin it back before glancing around. The big area lead to a smaller area, a thinner almost hallway area, which then lead into another open area like the one before. In the middle sat a small… flower? This one was bigger than the buttercups of the other room and appeared to tilt upward at his entrance into the room. He hummed gently, dismissing it as his seeing things. He moved to keep looking around the room, until he heard something clear its throat. He turned quickly toward the flower, which was… grinning at him? He shifted from foot to foot before slowly walking toward the flower. It leaned forward, prompting the teen to kneel.

God tell me I'm just having some weird ass lucid dream… He thought to himself, before poking gently at one of its petals. The flower shifted back quickly, grin dropping for a moment before returning.  
“Hi, kid! I'm Ezekiel, Ezekiel the flower! You look new around here, is that right?” It asked, Thomas pausing for a long moment before nodding. It seemed to hesitate at the lack of a verbal answer, but continued anyway.  
“Well, I should show you the ropes, shouldn't I?” It asked, receiving another hesitant nod from the teen. He stood, brushing off his knees before a familiar tugging at his chest made him pause. He almost didn't focus on the flower's words, busy staring at the bright red SOUL in front of him. He reached out to cup it gently, knowing fully well what this meant. A fight of some sort was about to go down, it'd depend on if it would get physical or not, but Thomas had seen his fair share of SOULs, from his parents and school mates and really most people. He slowly focused back in when he realized he hadn’t been listening.  
“So, all you have to do is catch all the, uh, the friendliness pellets!” It was saying, and Thomas stared at it quizzically. That made no sense, not logically at least. SOULs didn’t appear outside of battles, injuries, and times of strong emotions, so why else would it be out now? He listened anyway, not wanting to risk getting in trouble somehow by this flower-thing that was throwing white “friendliness pellets” at him. He let one hit his SOUL, and immediately felt himself flinch back away from the pain. It spread through his body, probably more painful than anything he’d felt before. Falling to his knees, he looked up onto to see the flower grin at him. It taunted him briefly, before he found himself surrounded by over twenty of the pellet things. Swirling, closing in around him until-

  
“Ah!” He looked up quickly, watching the flower as it dropped into the ground, a small ball of fire jumping over it briefly.  
“Oh, dear. Are you alright, child?” The voice was gentle, and Thomas looked toward it quickly. Was that a… bipedal goat? He watched as they stepped over where the flower once was, brushing aside the pellets like they were nothing and kneeling in front of him. “Have you suffered any injuries?” They were reaching out to touch Thomas, now, hands (paws?) hovering just a bit away as if they were asking permission. He nodded gently, letting them gently cup his face with one hand and look him over gently. They stood after a moment, before pausing like they remembered something. “Oh, right! I’m Patton, I live down here. Come with me, we can get you all cleaned up.” They offered, and much to his own surprise he found himself being gently helped up. Patton lead him around quietly for a while, gently explaining the mechanics of puzzles and making sure Thomas understood even though Thomas was firmly not speaking. After a little while, Patton paused, sucking in a breath and turning to Thomas.

“Thomas, I need to ask you to do something, alright?” They seemed almost nervous upon asking, which lead to a ping of anxiety in his own chest. He nodded anyway, gripping his hands gently. “I'm gonna go down there and you need to come find me, okay?” Thomas nodded again, the anxiety lessening. Oh, that was it? He watched the goat person move to the end of the area, hiding behind a pillar, before moving after them. Holding back a soft snicker, he followed the goat's path, hands pushed absentmindedly into his pockets. He reached the pillar rather quickly, even despite his simple stroll. He peeked behind Patton's pillar, who was quick to smile gently at him. “You did great, kiddo, but I need you to know that what you just did was a test of your ability to be alone for a period of time.” They kneeled in front of Thomas for more than the first time that day, resting their big paw hands on their knee. “I’m going to give you something, because I’m going to have to go away for a while. I’m gonna want you to stay right here, though, okay?”

Thomas nodded again, shifting from foot to foot until he noticed Patton pull out a small flip phone. He immediately shook his head at the sight, pushing it away the second Patton tried to offer it out to him. The other’s face twisted into a gentle frown. “No? Kiddo, I need some way to contact you when I’m gone.” He pressed gently, holding the phone out toward Thomas again. He quickly shoved it back at Patton, nearly stumbling back. There was a slight pause, before Patton nodded gently. “I wasn’t going to ask, kiddo, but can you speak?” Another pause, before Thomas worked his vocal chords for the first time since the week prior.   
“I-I can I just…” He swallowed hard, and Patton saw the brief flash of panic in his eyes.  
“Oh… Okay, buddy, you don’t have to talk again until you’re comfortable, okay?” They murmured, setting their hand on Thomas’s shoulder. He sighed, thinking for a short moment before nodding. “Do you want to come with or wait here until I come get you? Because either would work, I suppose.” The question wasn’t much, but caused Thomas to smile a little bit. He paused, before gently pointing to where he was standing. Staying sounded better, almost safer if he’d admit it to himself. Patton nodded gently, offering Thomas a little smile before humming. “Now, I need you to answer a few questions before I go.”

They weren’t hard, just preference questions and careful questions about any allergies he may have had. It wasn’t long before Patton was up and leaving, and Thomas was sitting quietly on the ground and tracing little patterns into the ground. It was a while until Patton returned, though, and Thomas, having relaxed quite a bit, gave a soft hum when the other returned.  
“Pronouns?” He found himself asking as they walked, catching Patton’s eye as he looked up. The other paused.  
“You mean my own?” A nod. “Well, I don’t really care much! My own children called me dad, though, if that helps at all.” The conversation was left there, Thomas feeling a bit more satisfied at knowing the little piece of information. It was a rather quiet walk, Patton pointing out little tricks to solving puzzles and reactivating a few for Thomas to try. Few monsters came up to bother them, most of them causing accidental battles that caused Thomas's SOUL to appear. He apologized to them softly, mostly because the fights only began from Thomas bumping into them on accident. Patton seemed to smile a bit more each time Thomas spoke, the teen clearly beginning to get comfortable in Patton's presence. By the time they reached Patton’s home, a quick conversation with a ghost named Salem and a few stops for Thomas to do a puzzle of his own later, the two were having a hushed conversation. Granted, a lot of Thomas’s replies were still short or had a few stutters in them, but Patton didn’t seem to mind. The other just smiled patiently when he got stuck on a word or continued a previous thought of theirs when Thomas didn’t know how to answer a question. They smiled gently as the pair reached their house, placing a gentle hand on Thomas’s shoulder.

“We’re here!” They announced happily, Thomas pausing and looking at the small home in front of them. It looked cozy, a lot nicer than his home above the surface. He nodded, a bit excited, as Patton gently lead him inside. He smiled at the smell of something baking, and glanced around as he stepped inside. Patton laughed softly as he did, watching the teen as he peeked into the living room. “This is it. I’m sorry that it isn’t much-”  
“It’s perfect.” Thomas paused after he interrupted, about to apologize until he finally noticed Patton’s smile.   
“I’m glad you like it. Come on, I have one more surprise for you.” They offered up a hand, and Thomas found himself taking it quickly, quite enjoying being treated like a child. The two of them walked together down a hall to the right of the door, Patton stopping just one door down. They glanced at Thomas and smiled widely, watching as the teen took a hesitant step forward and let his hand rest on the doorknob. He looked over to them again briefly, and at their encouraging nod, pushed the door open gently. He couldn’t help his small, surprised gasp as he glanced inside. It was a bedroom, one much nicer than his own above the surface. There was a bed tucked in the opposite corner of the door, a small toy box next to it. A few stuffed animals rested against the wall near it as well, and he almost found himself lunging at them as he walked over and tentatively lifted one into the air. It was soft and warm, worn as well but not to an unusable point. He put it down again, almost sadly, before looking around the rest of the room. A few drawings were hung on the walls, done in crayon seemingly by children. He heard a soft sigh from Patton when his eyes rested on them, and quickly turned his gaze. A toy box sat in another corner, by a small desk with a chair and a half finished drawing laying on it. He smiled a little at the sight, wondering who had drawn it before looking at the remainder of the room. A dresser, a sleeve of a shirt peeking out, a few more toys, and Patton still standing in the doorframe. They looked a bit upset, but their gentle turn rose into a smile as Thomas looked at them. “This room is for you. There should be clothing in the closet that fits you if you want to change. If you need me I’ll be in the living room or in the kitchen, which is just behind the living room, or you can give me a holler if you feel comfortable.” They rested a gentle hand on Thomas’s shoulder as they stepped inside, face still turned into a gentle smile. He nodded, and they did the same, rising again and ruffling his hair before slipping out of the room and nearly shutting the door behind them. He watched as they left, turning again. He stepped toward the closet, pulling out a red striped shirt and a pair of shorts similar in color to the ones he had on. He stared at them for a long moment, before setting them down on the desk and climbing into the bed after kicking off his shoes. He was quick to fall asleep, head hitting the pillow and eyes dropping shut.

When he woke up there was this sort of warm, fuzzy feeling in his chest. He blinked a few times more, sitting upright in the bed slowly before looking down to his lap. A little, red heart was suspended in air there, and he paused to stare. Oh yeah, his SOUL. He blinked for a moment, before standing from the bed and watching as it faded away into nothingness, presumably back into his chest where it probably belonged. After a long moment of just sitting he looked around the room, surprised that he hadn’t noticed it was dark now. The door was open just a crack, revealing a small plate of cookies in front of it. He felt his face turn into a soft smile, thoughts providing earlier with Patton and his careful way of going over allergies with Thomas before he had left. He stood slowly, spotting the small pile of clothes he had left out for himself to change into, and did so quietly, before picking up the plate of cookies and grabbing one, setting the rest on his bed and wandering, barefoot, to go find Patton. He glanced to the left once he left his room, noticing another door a way down but deciding to leave it be, turning to the right instead and heading toward the living room.

He focused in on Patton after a moment, sitting in a rocking chair and knitting something, the soft sound of the needles hitting each other while a fire crackled behind them filling the silence. Thomas took a little bite out of his cookie before wandering up to Patton. The goat looked up, and smiled past their glasses, setting their project down. Thomas hummed, smiling a little bit after swallowing his bite of cookie. “Hello, kiddo. How'd you sleep?”   
“Mmh.” Thomas hummed, dropping himself into Patton’s lap quietly and grabbing the knitting project from where Patton had set it, pushing it back into their hands and curling up. Patton hummed, before smiling and cuddling Thomas gently as they went back to knitting. “Thank you…” Thomas murmured, pulling a surprised noise from Patton.  
“Of course, kiddo.”  
“Thomas.”  
“Of course, Thomas.” They corrected gently, smiling a bit. They hadn't learned his name yet, and hearing it made a warm fuzzy feeling spread in their chest. He cuddled into them, nuzzling his face into the warm fabric of their robes. The two sat like that for a while, Thomas comfortably cuddled into Patton while the monster knitted quietly, until Thomas shifted a bit in Patton's lap.  
“I wanna go and explore.” He mumbled softly, glancing up at Patton who had paused.  
“I… suppose you can. Do you want me to stay here while you go?”  
“Mmhm. I'll be back in a little bit.” He slipped out of their lap, hurring off to his room to grab his shoes, pulling them on and glancing briefly toward the staircase leading presumably to a basement of sorts. He hesitated, before going down them, glancing around curiously. He hadn't gone far before Patton's voice from above scared him.  
“Thomas? Are you down here?” They sounded worried, and he couldn't do anything but turn and head back upstairs.  
“Sorry. I was curious.” He mumbled as he passed Patton, who gave him a soft sigh and patted his shoulder.  
“Why don’t you go play outside for a bit, alright?”  
“Okay.”


End file.
